Employees/Individuals

Can Starbucks Touch Your Soul?

October 8, 2009

Tweet When an organization is being authentic, you can feel it. Even when its character is being expressed in a very small way, or through a very small action, an organization’s expression of its authentic self can touch your soul. I was reminded of the power of small, authentic acts to touch your soul while […]

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Focusing on the Authentic in the Individual

October 2, 2009

Tweet Jamie and Maren Showkeir, authors of the book Authentic Conversations, also write a blog about the same concept. Their work is inspiring, and I often find myself referring to their book when I talk with organization members about how they can bring more authenticity into their organizations through their relationships with each other. Just […]

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The People Make the Place Authentic

October 1, 2009

Tweet When you think about “the organization” or “your organization”, do you simultaneously overlook the actual people in it? This tension between thinking of an organization as an entity and simultaneously recognizing that it is also a collection of individuals runs through all our conversations about organizations. When managers and leaders are considering their organization’s […]

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Who is advising the NY Jets Management?

August 19, 2009

Tweet Whoever it is, they are doing a good job! I’m not talking about rosters, game strategies or coaching assignments– I’m talking about using a deep understanding of how to support your whole organization in moving towards a goal. Last fall, I posted about the Jets’ new training facility, and how it was designed explicitly […]

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Peek inside an Authentic Organization: Blogging at Berrett-Koehler

July 14, 2009

Tweet Years of following industries that create culture have left me with a special fondness for book publishers. Year after year, season after season, page after page, book publishers create objects that convey what I love most — great ideas. Increasingly, book publishers do this in an embattled industry, towards a customer base with a […]

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Resources for Authenticity: Being vs. Understanding

June 30, 2009

Tweet What resources can organizations draw on to create and sustain an authentic sense of “who they are”? My class with the Darden EMBA students on Saturday danced around the questions of “How do organizations ‘source’ their identity? and “How do organizations sustain their authenticity?” Even though we had a chance to discuss many other […]

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EmployER Branding vs. EmployEE Branding

June 24, 2009

Tweet Sometimes the distinctions between terms are irrelevant; they don’t make much of a difference. Not so with the distinction between employEE branding and EmployER branding. Just the switch of one letter, and the switch of the organization’s focus, makes all the difference. EmployER Branding EmployER branding is all about creating a sense of place. […]

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How are Brandividuals special?

June 17, 2009

Tweet What is it that makes Brandividuals a ‘special’ kind of organizational representative or spokesperson? It seems to be all in the balance that brandividuals strike between displaying ‘who they are’ and advocating for ‘what the organization wants’. More than "Spokesmodels" Brandividuals do all kinds of important stakeholder contact, communication and problem resolution work. In […]

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Why We Want Brandividuals on Social Media

June 11, 2009

Tweet Brandividuals are an important tactic for representing an organization online. Yes, I know, the term “Brandividual” is kind of funky, and maybe even has an annoying buzz, but as a concept it’s here to stay. Why? Because brandividuals are the most transparent, authentic and ultimately effective way of representing an organization in an online […]

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